boat carpet - I need experienced help

[dyers78]

I am recarpeting my boat (16' sea nymph). I am comfortable with the project but I am not comfortable with the type of carpet to select. I have been shopping around and found 2 types I like. 1. HomeDepot has a 24oz rubber backing Shaw brand for $1.05/Sq Ft. The other is from a carpet store and it's also Shaw Indoor/outdoor but it's not rubber backed and is 18oz. for $.44/Sq Ft. Is the rubber backing a must have?

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: boat carpet - I need experienced help

you do not want a rubber backing in a boat!!!! you really don't want carpet in a boat. look at hydroturf.com they use it on jet skis.

 

[oops!]

Re: boat carpet - I need experienced help

the rubber backing could trap water between the deck and the rubber...that means faster rot.

 

[dyers78]

Re: boat carpet - I need experienced help

The boat is all aluminum - no wood so rot is somewhat of a moot point. There is a rubber backing on the current carpet so does that change anything? TD - I know you hate carpet as I have read during my short stint with the forum but in this case I want carpet. I do understand there are probably better options but for what I need the boat for and how much I use it carpet is the winner. You seem to know your stuff so if you can offer anything to help I would appreciate it. The carpets I have seen have the two different types of backing Rubber coated and then a sort of whitish stuff. They are all mold/mildew resistant, UV stable and stain resistant. I am looking at 24oz and 18 oz.

 

[BoatinFool]

Re: boat carpet - I need experienced help

My factory snap-in carpet is rubber backed, but the boat also has a full fiberglass liner. Are you planning to glue your carpet to a wooden deck or make it removable?

 

[dyers78]

Re: boat carpet - I need experienced help

glue but again it's all aluminum. From what I can tell now there is no wood used in the deck. It's all riveted pieces of metal so I will remove the old carpet, scrap the glue and reglue the new stuff - although I am sure there will be more to it than that.

I just called my local boat shop and they said they only sell and recommend rubber back stuff? This is confusing?

 

[BoatinFool]

Re: boat carpet - I need experienced help

I bet that the rubber-backed stuff is more expensive and will not hold moisture and mildew as easily as the cheaper nylon backed stuff. All of the higher quality boat carpet I have seen is rubber backed.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: boat carpet - I need experienced help

OK, if you must, on the aluminum, i would go rubber backed, to cut down on the sound aluminum makes. on wood, never rubber backed. after using. keep the bow high, hose it down, let it dry and cover the boat. carpet to me is like the mat around the toilet, that i pee on every night.

 

[oops!]

Re: boat carpet - I need experienced help

hey boatin fool....your avitar pic....was that snapped at lake mead????

that looks like my bayliner capri in the background !!!!

 

[GregE]

Re: boat carpet - I need experienced help

that looks like my bayliner capri in the background !!!!

What Bayliner?

 

[frozenokie]

Re: boat carpet - I need experienced help

Hey Dyers78! Good question on carpet. I bought enough carpet to do my 18 ft. bass boat from Spectra Custom Flooring out of Oklahoma City. They're website is www.boatcarpet.com and thier phone is 1-800-390-1393, ask for Jeremy. It's a little more expensive than what you were talking about, but the things I read on their site convinced me to use their carpets. I don't like the idea of carpet holding water either, but all it takes is care in letting it dry sufficiently after each use and covering the boat up when stored while tilting the nose up so it stays drained. I personally have never had problems in the five boats I've owned with carpet and I fish in the rain all the time. One thing to think about is use the best carpet glue you can find. Good luck!

 

[dyers78]

Re: boat carpet - I need experienced help

I missed your post. I bought carpet from http://www.boatcarpetbuys.com. It looks to be a good product at a reasonable price. I paid $247 for the 20oz charcoal with rubber backing and 2 gallons of adhesive shipped to my door. Home Depot had nice stuff but I think it may have been too thick and they had a 2 week delivery. How long should something like this take? I am going to post some pics of the boat. I have a trip planned for the end of May that this has to be ready for. I thought about waiting until it was over but I would like to just get in there and get it done. Everything is riveted together at this point. I drilled a couple out and stripped one small piece which went well althought the old rubber backing is on there tight. Should I use rivets to reconnect everything or use screws?

 

[BoatinFool]

Re: boat carpet - I need experienced help

Hey OOPS, that picture was taken at Havasu 2 years ago.

carpet to me is like the mat around the toilet, that i pee on every night.

I don't pee on the floor at my house, and I don't let people pee in my boat! No wonder you don't like carpet!

 

[Coors]

Re: boat carpet - I need experienced help

Hey OOPS, that picture was taken at Havasu 2 years ago.



I don't pee on the floor at my house, and I don't let people pee in my boat! No wonder you don't like carpet!

My wife complained about the mat, so I aim higher, and splatter the wall, vanity, and tub now.
More complaints. Sometimes it's too cold to walk out the back door and kill her plants.

 

[frozenokie]

Re: boat carpet - I need experienced help

Everything is riveted together at this point. I drilled a couple out and stripped one small piece which went well althought the old rubber backing is on there tight. Should I use rivets to reconnect everything or use screws?

I've never worked on or even been on a carpeted aluminum before, so as a guess a would use screws if you believe that there would be reason to change the carpeting again at some time or use rivets for a permenent and cleaner look. You are talking about around the perimeter of the carpet - RIGHT? Both ways would work but I think the screws might get loose over time and as far as time to do the job, I would allow a full weekend to cut your patterns, adhere them to your boat and install the fasteners. Also, glues are different from one to the next, so that will also determine how long you will have to let the glue cure after applying the carpet. You definitely want it dry and fully cured for the strongest bond to the surfaces. Hope this helps.

 

[jameskb2]

Re: boat carpet - I need experienced help

My wife complained about the mat, so I aim higher, and splatter the wall, vanity, and tub now.
More complaints. Sometimes it's too cold to walk out the back door and kill her plants.

LMAO!

Oh man....I'm so emasculated from mine that I actually kneel, with the seat up, and hold it over the rim.

'Course, we take turns cleaning the bathroom.....

 

[dyers78]

Re: boat carpet - I need experienced help

ok...countdown is on. I have a week off coming up. I pulled a piece off and striped the carpet, scraped the old crap off but now I need to know how clean the old stuff has to be. I know the cleaner the better but what is reasonable?

I figure I can this couple ways:

1. the way I did it with a scrapper
2. scrape it by hand and then hit each panel with an angle grinder or wire wheel to rough it up and clean it better.
3. use something like Aircraft Aluminum Stripper (chemical) but this sounds abrasive and may do damage?

thoughts?

 

[BoatinFool]

Re: boat carpet - I need experienced help

If you're referring to the old glue on the deck, I've had good luck removing it using acetone or lacquer thinner.

 

[cbavier]

Re: boat carpet - I need experienced help

OK, if you must, on the aluminum, i would go rubber backed, to cut down on the sound aluminum makes. on wood, never rubber backed. after using. keep the bow high, hose it down, let it dry and cover the boat. carpet to me is like the mat around the toilet, that i pee on every night.

Tashasdaddy:
It's too bad that you have such a bad attitude about carpeting. This is just your opinion. I know carpeting sometimes is a pain but a lot of people including me like carpeting. I am planning on replacing part of my carpet this Spring too. I've already bought my Carpet to match the carpet already in the boat. Somebody before me had replaced part of the carpet and didn't match it up. Home depot recommended and I bought a white backed carpet. They said at Home depot what you said. Rubber backed to Aluminum Glued or Fiberglass and The white backed and Glued to wood. I think it was a 6700 exterior glue. Same as what is used to glue carpet to Outside Decks. In fact I whipped the major problem of carpeting in a boat last summer. We dock our boat three weeks at a time but there is no 110 available. The carpet used to get pretty dirty because we fish a lot in our boat as well as pleasure ride. The problem was cleaning the carpet when it got dirty since there was no 110 available. I bought a cordless vac ( which wouldn't even pick up lint) and after buying a 110 Volt Dirt Devil thinking I would use an invereter. I bought a Black and Decker 12 Volt Auto hand Vac. The 12 Volt hand Vac works great where 110 is not available,. I just plug it into my cigarette lighter. So I'll keep my carpet and to those who don't want carpet that's fine too.

I just bought a Shaker Siphon too which will make adding Gas at the dock much easier. I may have to buy a longer hose but I hope the 6 foot hose that comes with the Siphon will be sufficient.

 

[dyers78]

Re: boat carpet - I need experienced help

yikes - I got one of the storage bins out and taken apart. I found that an angle grinder works wonders to remove old rubber and glue. I am having an issue with the glue holding. Since the entire boat is aluminum, all the pieces have lots of bends and the carpet seems to be fighting top stay in the shape of the metal. anyone have a remedy to this? I am going slowly to see how the storage bin turns out. I have some pics if anyone wants to see what going on.